Friday, June 28, 2013

Hey everyone! This week on Authors Tell All I'm excited to have M. Leighton visiting with a sexy skinny dipping scene from The Wild Ones!

**MATURE CONTENT ADVISORY: May not be suitable for younger readers**

Passion as hot as midnight in the South and love as wild as the horses they tame.

Camille “Cami” Hines is the darling daughter of the South’s champion thoroughbred breeder, Jack Hines. She has a pedigree that rivals some of her father’s best horses. Other than feeling a little suffocated at times, Cami thought she was pretty happy with her boyfriend, her life and her future.

But that was before she met Patrick Henley.

“Trick” blurs the lines between what Cami wants and what is expected of her. He’s considered the “help,” which is forbidden fruit as far as her father is concerned, not to mention that Trick would be fired if he ever laid a hand on her. And Trick needs his job. Desperately. His family depends on him.

The heart wants what the heart wants, though, and Trick and Cami are drawn to each other despite the obstacles. At least the ones they know of.

When Trick stumbles upon a note from his father, it triggers a series of revelations that could ruin what he and Cami have worked so hard to overcome. It turns out there’s more to Trick’s presence at the ranch than either of them knew, secrets that could tear them apart.

Here's the scene!

I can’t help but be a little
worried that my dick is making decisions I really shouldn’t be going along
with. Even as we’re walking up to the main house, I’m telling myself this is a
mistake, that if we get caught and Jack finds out, I’ll be out on my ass. And
that would be a disaster. But still, I follow Cami through the wrought iron
gate that surrounds the pool.

She
walks around the pool to the shallow end and stops. I stop beside her and we
wait for Jenna and Rusty to catch up. They’re giggling and whispering the whole
way.

From
the corner of my eye, I see Cami fidget. At first, it appears to be a nervous
thing. But when I glance at her, she looks at me and smiles. It’s a bright
smile. Bright and …excited, which makes me think it’s not all bad nerves. In fact, it makes me twitch
a little in my jeans, which is never a good thing when I’m getting ready to
strip down in front of mixed company.

Without
even pausing, Jenna pulls her shirt over her head then reaches for Rusty’s.
While they’re all wrapped up in removing each other’s clothes, I turn more
toward Cami.

“Are
you sure you’re up for this?”

She
takes a deep breath and grins at me. “Yep. You?”

I
nod. “Yep.”

She
puts one small hand on my arm and looks me in the eye. “It’ll be fine, you
know. Drogheda would never tell on me, so you
don’t need to worry, okay?”

She’s worrying about me worrying? Now I feel bad for telling
her how important this job is.

“I’m
not worried,” I assure her. “I trust you.”

Her
smile is sweet and pleased and it makes me want to kiss her. Hell, everything
she does makes me want to kiss her.

“Good.
You should.”

As
if she’s making her point, Cami takes a few steps back and pulls her shirt over
her head. She does it quickly and then holds it in front of her and waits.
That’s my cue to shed a piece of clothing, too.

In
the brightness of the full moon, I can see her eyes twinkling devilishly. She’s
so coy. So damned adorably coy.

God, it would be so much fun to have her all
to myself for one night. Just one night. Maybe that would be enough to get her
out of my system.

“All
right then, Mr. Rock Hard Abs, show me what you got,” she demands teasingly.

She
doesn’t have to ask me twice! Grabbing a handful of shirt behind my neck, I
pull it over my head. But I throw mine on one of the white lounge chairs,
upping the ante a little. Her eyes flicker down my chest and stomach. My
muscles tighten. I see her gaze drop lower then hurry back to my face. She’s
curious. She wants to look, she wants to see what’s under my jeans, but she’s
trying not to show it. I bite back a groan.

What
I wouldn’t give to carry her off to someplace more private…

Slowly,
she pulls her arms away from her chest and holds her shirt out by her
fingertips then drops it onto a chair. I have to clamp my lips shut to keep my
mouth from dropping open when I see the little purple scrap of lace that’s
covering the most perfectly firm flesh I think I’ve ever seen. I can even see
the outline of her nipples. The fact that they’re hard makes me want to squirm.

When
I look up at her face, she isn’t smiling anymore. Her expression looks like I feel—hot and bothered and about as close as I’ve ever come to
ripping someone’s clothes off.

She
isn’t moving. She’s just staring at me. Like, right at me. Her eyes aren’t
leaving mine. And there’s something about the intensity of her look that makes
me feel like some kind of animal.

Just
to tease her, I bend down and pull off my boots, kicking them to the side. My
socks follow. I see her lips curve and she kicks off her own shoes and gives
them a nudge. Then she’s watching me again, all serious and…hungry. It’s like
we both know we’re getting down to business. And that excites me.

I
reach for the button of my jeans and I pop it loose. Her eyes drop to my hands
and I slowly slide the zipper down. My jeans hang a little on my hips, so when
I let them go, they fall into a heap around my ankles. I step out of them and
straighten to watch her look me over.

Her
eyes start at my bare feet and move slowly up my calves and thighs. My balls
tighten when she gets to my crotch. Her eyes stay there for a lot longer than
what they should. It makes my pulse pick up speed.

Holy shit, that’s hot!

“I
guess it’s a good thing I wore underwear today,” I say glibly, anything to
break the tension. I’m not sure how much more I can take of Cami’s teasing
torture and still act like a responsible adult.

I
shake my head. Even in the silvery light of the moon, I can see her cheeks
darken. I know she’s blushing.

“Tonight
is not a good night for you to be doing stuff like that.”

“Stuff
like what?” she asks, a little breathlessly, which also turns me on.

Dammit!

“Stuff
like looking me over as if you wanna lick every square inch of me and then
blushing about it. It’s taking every bit of willpower I have and then some not
to come over there and kiss you.”

“But
you don’t want to do that.” I don’t know if it’s a statement or a question.

“Hell
yeah I want to! But I can’t. I shouldn’t.”

“I
know. And I admire you for your…restraint.”

Before
she even finishes the sentence, she’s biting her lip and tugging on the zipper
to her shorts. She wiggles her thumbs under the waistband and shimmies her hips
back and forth. But slowly, like she’s actually doing a strip tease. My mouth
goes completely dry as I watch the material make its way down her slim legs.

When
her shorts are pooled around her ankles, she steps out of them and flings them
away. I notice she jacks her chin up a notch, like she’s not used to being on
display but she’s determined to be cool about it. That makes it even sexier in
my opinion.

The
triangle of lace between her legs matches her bra. I don’t really much care
either way. I’m as much a fan of white cotton as I am of sexy lingerie. I don’t
pay any of it a lot of attention. I’m much more interested in what’s
underneath.

Cami
is built perfectly. At first I’m surprised that, with a body like that—long
legs, tight stomach, curvy hips, narrow waist, awesome rack—she doesn’t wear
more revealing clothes. But then, when I think of her personality, of what
she’s really like, I’m not surprised at all. I’d say she’s picky about who sees
her like this, and the fact that she saves it for a few select people makes me
want her that much more.

“You
do realize you’re perfect, right?”

She
looks down, letting her hair fall forward to hide her face. But not before I
see the smile of pure pleasure pulling at her lips. I can’t help but wonder
what things are like with that boyfriend of hers. Doesn’t he tell her how
beautiful she is? Doesn’t he know how lucky he is to have a girl like this? To
touch her whenever he wants to, probably with her daddy’s blessing?

Those
thoughts bring a very unwelcome dark cloud to the night, so I put them out of
my mind and make a point to keep things light. For both our sakes.

“Now,
are you getting in or am I gonna have to throw you in?”

She
looks confused at first, but then I see her face light up when she captures the
mischief of the night.

That’s more like it.

Although
it works to relieve the tension, in my head I know all she has to do is move
the wrong way or touch me the right way and my rock hard willpower
will crumble like day old bread.

About M. Leighton:

I was born and raised in the United States, and I’ve lived in several of the fabulous fifty. Though I currently live in the deep South, I spent much of my childhood up North and hope to return there one day. A few other things about me: I believe that sometimes you have to look really, REALLY hard to find the good in people, but it's there. I believe that I'm shrinking (I swear five years ago I was two inches taller). I believe my husband is quite possibly one of the most amazing men in the entire world (I can't be sure because I haven't met all of them). I believe coffee and chocolate, when combined, could be the basis for world peace. I believe that Jesus rocks and communism doesn’t. I believe that white makes me look fat and black collects lint. I believe summer's too hot, winter's too cold and fall was made for football. I like dogs better than cats and the first movie in a trilogy is invariably the best. But most of all, I believe that love conquers all.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Today I'm excited to have Heather Lyons back on the blog. In case you missed it, you can check out her Authors Tell All skinny dipping post here. Today is the release day for A MATTER OF HEART, and she's got a post on cliffhangers.

Cliffhangers—They leave us hangin’ (in a good way—no,
really!).

As both a voracious reader as well as a writer, one thing
that I’ve noticed over the years that’s sure to rile up fans is a cliffhanger
ending. Personally, I’ve agonized over such when I’ve encountered them in
stories. How, I’ve raged both silently and out loud to my poor husband
afterwards, can the author do this to me? I must have answers! How can they
just leave me like this for MONTHS
(or, worse yet, a year to years!)?

SPOILER ALERT, WILL ROBINSON. MILD SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!

The answer is: not easily. Or, at least that’s my perspective having just
utilized this timeworn literary plot device myself. When writing A Matter of Heart, the second book in my
urban fantasy/romance Fate series, I knew that certain things had to happen to
carry the story and the characters forward. But, in order to do that, I ended
up having to enact something that has personally left me distraught and annoyed
toward authors for years: I left my own readers with a cliffhanger-ish ending. It
wasn’t done lightly. I didn’t cackle when I got to the end, rubbing my hands
together like a villainous authoress. Instead, I came to the decision after much
careful consideration on what would be the most authentic ending I could craft
for this story. And even still, I’ve already heard from dear readers rightly demanding
some ‘splaining on my end.

END OF MILD SPOILERS!

Why is it we have such strong reactions to cliffhangers? Is it just that the
unknown is unnerving, especially when answers do not come quickly? I watched
another author get roasted earlier in the year when they left their book with a
cliffhanger ending, even though the next book in the series is less than a year
away. Some readers were incensed, and it made me wonder if we, as readers, feel
that we are owed the answers we want right away. There’s always that old-age
adage that says good things come to those
who wait, but anyone who has ever read a cliffhanger ending knows that
that’s a whole lotta bull because ANSWERS ARE NEEDED and they’re needed NOW or
it will drive a person insane with the What Ifs and the How Comes.

And yet, for all of our self-righteous anger (which, as I’ve
admitted above, I partake in myself as a reader!), the truth is . . . those cliffhanger
endings ensure we come back to find out the answers we crave. It’s truly a rare
book (or movie) that I’d consider abandoning because I’m too upset to go on.
Instead, I’ll vent, I’ll stalk the ‘net for spoilers, hints, clues—anything I
can get my hands on, and then when the book comes out, I’ll dig right back in
because I won’t be able to help myself. There are answers that must be found, and
I’ve waited long enough, thank you very much.

Because in the end, I think we all sort of love to hate cliffhangers.
After all, they give us that bit opportunity to live a little longer in the
worlds we inhabit in books as we obsess over just what it is we must know.

The End

. . . or is it?

No longer in high school, Chloe Lilywhite is now living and
working in Annar, the Magicals' city-state plane of existence. Since moving,
she's joined the Council, gone on missions with the Guard, moved into her own
apartment, and enrolled at the University of Annar. Plus, she's happily engaged
to be married to Jonah Whitecomb, the literal man from her dreams, not to
mention her Connection. While she still struggles with aspects of her craft,
Chloe feels like she's finally coming into her own, especially after a
difficult year that had her questioning nearly everything in her life.

After a brutal attack by the Elders, her life is turned
upside down once more. Accusations fly throughout the Council and Guard,
forcing Chloe to confront her worst fears about what's she's capable of as a
Creator. And then there's the matter of Kellan Whitecomb, Jonah's twin brother
and Chloe's ex, who resurfaces after disappearing months before. Although Chloe
chose Jonah, and despite their best efforts, the two find it hard to stay away
from one another.

But no matter what Fate throws at her, Chloe is determined
to take charge of her life, even as it begins to spiral out of control.

A MATTER OF HEART is book 2 in the Fate Series, a mature
Young Adult/New Adult fantasy.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Hey everyone! Found releases in just about 3 weeks, and I thought it would be fun to do an e-ARC giveaway. Comment below with the name of your favorite Pteron, and I'll pick 3 winners from random.org at 9:00 PM eastern tonight. Be sure to check back at nine, because if you win I'll send it tonight!

Friday, June 21, 2013

Hey everyone! Today on Authors Tell all I have Amy Evans here with a skinny dipping scene with characters from CLICKS! A YA version of this scene appears in the book. :)

Diving
through moonlit waves, we rushed beyond the break to where the clicks and
whistles sounded loudest.The beach had been
closed for too long for my liking and I’d felt desperate to swim with the
dolphins again. We paused to get our bearings when I felt a bump on my hip that
made me jump.

I
laughed and shot water at Blake, sure it was he who had nudged me. But he was
too far to reach. He
splashed back and I felt the bump again.

Looking
down, I saw the bright dolphin with the albino skin. She’d come to find us, and
brought the large grey one that we’d seen last week. I could tell who he was because of the zigzag
scar on his dorsal fin.

The dolphins were in the best mood.They made bubbles big enough for us to swim
through.They bumped us together until
we kissed, and joined us on surface, flipping and jumpinghigh every time we needed air. As we swam further from land, we found more
of the pod and began swimming faster and further out to sea.

Underwater, the differences between
various dolphins looked more obvious to me:their slight distinctions in color and shape, their swimming styles,
distinct personalities.In
the beginning, I had held on to her fins to cover the long distances.Then I caught her slipstream like I had on
First Night, but this time I remembered to come up for air when I needed to.

When
we got so far that I couldn’t see the lights on land, I began to worry. As if
she knew how I was feeling, she made some noises, slipped underwater, and
started swimming back toward land. Blake and the dolphin he’d been swimming
with did the same thing.

Fifty
feet from land, she stopped suddenly, and I came up to breathe. Blake did the
same thing. We weren’t actually close
to Pinhold proper, but by theold
lighthouse. Built on a rocky ledge, it had been part of the Island until an
earthquake had pulled it away.

“I’ve
never been over here,” I said, almost reverently, surprised that breathing came
easy even after such a fast swim.

“Me,
either,” Blake said, shaking his head. “And I have tried,” he admitted.
Adamantly off limits, the riptides surrounding it were the worst around
Pinhold. Until this summer, the last two drowning deaths had happened right
there.

My
dolphin nudged me deeper into the water and led me closer to the structure,
stopping in front of what looked like a door. Blake caught my eye and motioned
that he saw it, too. He pointed to a small porthole window and we swam over
that way.We surfaced, tookhuge breaths and dunked under the
water.The space inside was filled with
small, blinking lights. Nothing moved, which came as a bit of a relief.Blake swam back toward the door and gave a
tug on the handle.Immediately, the
water flooded with light and an alarm blasted.

My
dolphin shook her head, as if trying to shut the noise out. Even with the
visible discomfort, she did not swim
away.She pushed in between Blake and me
and rubbed her fins against us until we got the hint. When we each grabbed one,
she took off at a terrifying speed, leaving the male dolphin at the lighthouse
as a look out.

In
a furious flash of fins and waves, Blake and I found landed ten feet from my
dock, treading water in the bay, out of breath.Blake and the dolphin both appeared affected
as well.It felt like we’d just escaped
from a crime scene.

My
dolphin had saved me again and I felt the connection between us growing
stronger even as I watched her swim away.My feelings for Blake had expanded exponentially as well.

“I’d
doubt my sanity right now if you were not with me,” I said, looking over at
him.

“I
still can’t believe we found that. It looked like some sort of lab to me,”
Blake said. I nodded in agreement.

“It
figures the Doc had a secret lair underwater,” I said, giggling a little bit. I
knew we needed to sort out what we had seen, but at the moment my brain
couldn’t handle it. On emotional and physical overload, I needed something to
ground me.I moved towards Blake,
desperate to touch him. Right then, nothing else was important.

His dark clothes hid nothing.Soaking wet, his black tee clung to every
muscle in his arms and chest.My own
tank and shorts clung to me like a wetsuit.Every nerve in my body felt exposed between the tight fabric and Blake’s
heated gaze.

Fear
and flight had turned into a need for more adrenaline, a need to see and feel
more of Blake.

“Dare me?” I asked, pulling up the edge
of my tank. He ripped of his shirt in a flash of black and nodded at me.

“Definitely,” he said, watching, as I
slowly took off everything I had on top. He bit his lip, and put a hand on the
band of his board shorts, raising the stakes again.

I nodded. “On three,”I said, counting slowly. In the
exact same instant, we both took off our bottoms and threw our clothes on the
dock. We swam towards each other so fast that a big wave that crashed around us
as my lips finally met his.The breeze
and water couldn’t cool my heated skin; the only thing that brought any relief
was moving against him. I wrapped my legs around his waist seeking friction,
connection, just simply more of him. I knew he had enough strength and skill to
hold us both up. So I let him, and forgot about everything else.

Clicks – When you just know.

Born and bred to win, Cami’s family expects her to join a secret society called The Guard, marry one of the two identical twin boys next door, and stay on Pinhold Island for the rest of her life. But she has other plans: work beach patrol, win the Surf Carnival and get a sponsor so that she can leave Pinhold to compete in international surf rescue competitions and see the world.

Home to epic waves, black sand beaches, and the world-famous Surf Carnival, Pinhold Island is regularly voted the top surf spot in the country. People come from all over the world to ride the waves or just relax in the natural beauty and rejuvenating water. While visitors are jealous of the few hundred people who get to live there, sixteen year old Cami feels stifled and trapped by her small community and her family's expectations. Thanks to the intense link she shares with her twin brother Mica, she can't even be alone with her thoughts. As decedents of the ten families who originally settled on Pinhold, Cami and Mica are part of a new generation of extreme surf lifeguards who are expected to earn invitations into The Guard.

But a seemingly small injury knocks her out of the first event and turns her summer upside down. It's suddenly impossible for Cami to resist the magnetic attraction to Blake, one of the twins next door; the one she's never been interested in. Just as the Surf Carnival competition starts to heat up, the best swimmers start to drown. Pulled to the ocean floor, they're found barely alive , stuck in unexplainable comas. When Mica goes down too, Cami can no longer wait for those in charge to figure out how to help him. To save the lives of her brother and their friends, Cami must ignore what she sees and what she's told, and instead must learn to trust the clicks, her instincts, that help her find the truth in heart even when it goes against everything her brain thinks it knows.

About Amy:

Amy Evans is a wife, mother, ocean lover and storyteller. She's created multi-platform mobile apps, social media games, and interactive story worlds for HIPnTASTY, a company she co-founded in 2001. She loves dolphins, aliens and pugs, and sometimes writes for so long they all look like the same thing. Clicks is her debut novel about instincts, a Surf Carnival, an endless summer and the hottest beach patrol on the California coast.Clicks are truths you can feel, the sounds that the universe makes when it warns you that your world is about to change forever. If you listen to them, you get on the wave before it crests; control your path, surf into your destiny. If you ignore them, the wave crashes around you, and you try desperately not to drown.

Jennifer Snyder lives in North Carolina were she spends most of her time writing new adult and young adult fiction, reading, and struggling to stay on top of housework. She is a tea lover with an obsession for Post-it notes and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat and tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Hi everyone! This week on Authors Tell all, Heather Lyons is here with a steamy skinny dipping excerpt from the soon to be released A Matter of Heart. This is the second book in a fantastic Mature YA/NA fantasy romance series. Oh and just so you know, Jonah is one half of a set of hot twins. Definitely a series for any of you love triangle fans! If you haven't had a chance to read book 1 (A Matter of Fate), now is a great time. It's on sale for .99 cents! A Matter of Fate-Amazon

Here's the excerpt! :)

The water at night is still warm, like a bath. I don’t let
myself worry about things like sharks (Jonah swears he’s never seen one around
the house once) or the lack of bathing suits. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous
jumping buck-naked from the deck, but I figured, sometimes life is too short to
worry so much. And goodness knows, I do my fair share of worrying.

“I love this place,” I tell him, and he chuckles. Thankfully,
over the last day, with much teasing and kissing on my end, Jonah is acting a
bit more like his old self.

“You say that about every place.”

“I guess that’s true. It’s the toddler traveler in me; every new place is
exciting and interesting.”

His lips curve in a smirk. “Toddler traveler?”

I splash water at him. “You know what I mean.”

“Okay, toddler traveler—tell me the place you want to see the most.”

I think about this a moment, allowing myself to bob with the gentle waves that
crash against the house’s pillars. “Rome.”

“You realize we’ve been to Rome, right?”

“I know. But you asked. As for places
I’ve never been, maybe Paris. I used to imagine going there with you when we
were . . . maybe thirteen? I thought you could be a prince, and I’d be a
commoner that you fell in love with and we’d live in Versailles.”

He bursts out laughing. And then, gently as one of his feet stokes my leg, “If
anything, you’re the princess and I’m the commoner.”

Yeah, right. “Your turn.” I nudge him with my foot. “Where do you want to go?”

He pulls me closer until our bodies are flush against one
another. “Oh, most certainly Rome.” Our lips brush lightly. “And every other
single place we want to go. We’ll have almost two hundred years to hit them
all.”

I want him so much right now it’s painful.

“So you like this place,” he murmurs in my ear before our lips meet again. He
holds us up, strong swimmer he is.

“No,” I sigh against his mouth. “I love it.”

His lips travel to my neck. “Because it’s beautiful?”

I can feel how much he wants me, too. I reach down and graze my fingers against
the length of him; he gasps, and I can’t help but thrill that my touch can do
that to him. “Because I’m here with you.”

Our mouths come together, over and over; his fingers slide across my belly,
lower and lower, until I’m the one to gasp into his mouth. I’m having trouble
staying afloat, but this time, it’s not because I’m drowning in sorrow, it’s
because I’m literally so weak in the knees I can’t keep kicking and thinking at
the same time. We need to get up on the deck. Now.

“Uh, yeah. Excuse me?”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

We break apart and find a guy standing on the deck, leaning over the railing.
He’s holding a pizza box, practically leering. I can’t believe we forgot we
ordered pizza earlier.

“I tried knocking; when nobody answered, I came around the side. You two look
like you’ve worked up an appetite, huh?

Dying. Absolutely dying of mortification
right now. Also, why is the universe so conspired against me seducing Jonah?

Jonah laughs under his breath and presses his forehead against mine for a brief
second. “Yeah. Just. Can you wait for us at the front of the house?”

I’m uneasy with the guy’s blatant staring, but Jonah makes it so he loses
interest and wanders away. But our magical moment has already slipped through
our fingers.

No longer in high school, Chloe Lilywhite is now living and
working in Annar, the Magicals' city-state plane of existence. Since moving,
she's joined the Council, gone on missions with the Guard, moved into her own
apartment, and enrolled at the University of Annar. Plus, she's happily engaged
to be married to Jonah Whitecomb, the literal man from her dreams, not to
mention her Connection. While she still struggles with aspects of her craft,
Chloe feels like she's finally coming into her own, especially after a
difficult year that had her questioning nearly everything in her life.

After a brutal attack by the Elders, her life is turned
upside down once more. Accusations fly throughout the Council and Guard,
forcing Chloe to confront her worst fears about what's she's capable of as a
Creator. And then there's the matter of Kellan Whitecomb, Jonah's twin brother
and Chloe's ex, who resurfaces after disappearing months before. Although Chloe
chose Jonah, and despite their best efforts, the two find it hard to stay away
from one another.

But no matter what Fate throws at her, Chloe is determined
to take charge of her life, even as it begins to spiral out of control.

A MATTER OF HEART is book 2 in the Fate Series, a mature
Young Adult/New Adult fantasy, and is due out June 25, 2013.

About Heather:

Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—She’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Anyone ready to go back to Energo? Enduring Light is releasing on August 20th! With the upcoming release, I had the cover re-designed by Once Upon a Time Covers. I'm so excited to share the final book in the Afterglow Trilogy with you later this summer!

Fighting darkness takes light.

Desperate to save James, Charlotte scours Energo for answers
with Calvin and Liam at her side. Kevin and Samantha head to Alaska to find the
one item that might destroy Blake, but the search is only the beginning.

As time runs out, Charlotte and Kevin discover that keeping
Energo from eternal darkness will take a sacrifice no one expects.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Hey Everyone! Found releases in six weeks! I'm so excited to finally share an excerpt with you!

“Hello, gorgeous.” The voice was
low and husky. It sounded off from how the owner of it usually sounded, but it
had to be him.

“Toby?”

“Come with me quietly.” His lips
brushed against my ear.

“What are you doing here?” I
struggled in his arms, but he wouldn’t let go.

“I said quietly.” His arms
tightened.

Every part of me wanted to scream for help,
but it might have been my one chance to get Jess back. “Okay.”

We moved into a shadowed hallway behind
the bathrooms, and I finally looked up at his face. Even without the dim
lighting, I wouldn’t have seen much. He was wearing a masquerade mask. “Let
Jess go.”

“I will, eventually.” He put a hand
on my hip. I fought the urge to shrug him off. I needed any information I could
get. “I swear you get more beautiful every time I see you. And this dress.” He
moved his hand around to my back. “This dress is killing me.”

I tensed as his hand continued to
move down. “What the hell is going on? Why do you have her?”

He laughed. It wasn’t the laugh I
remembered him having. It was colder somehow. “I thought we already discussed
this, sweetheart.”

“You want me to come willingly.
What does that even mean?”

“So he hasn’t told you anything,
has he?”

“Anything about what? At least he
told me he wasn’t human. That’s more than you can say.” I struggled to keep my
voice down.

He ran a hand down my cheek. “Oh,
Allie. My sweet, Allie. I was waiting until the right moment.” This wasn’t
Toby—not the Toby I remembered at least. It felt like someone had taken over
his body—except for the way he said my name. That was the same.

“And when would the right moment
have been?”

“Our wedding night.” His voice
softened. Like the way he said my name, it gave me hope that the real Toby was
still in there.

“Our wedding night? You were
delusional enough to think we’d get married?”

“It wasn’t a delusion. I knew it
from the first time I kissed you. I’ve been waiting years to really have you.”

“Really have me?”

“Has Levi not shown you what real
sex with a Pteron is? I assume he’d be doing it any chance he could. I would.”

“You mean while transformed?”

“Of course. It was always good. So
good. But it’s going to be so much better.”